If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I think that the video that SystemicAnomaly posted was teaching the wrong way to do it. Cause the guy said that you have to swing short, but if you watch closely the smash of Lin Dan at 1:25 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKC1Depuf6Q), he does a full swing.

They're different shots. Niels Kristian Kaldau is teaching a half-smash.

When you focus enough energy into learning a good smash that can be placed in a good position, I found that I could do it automatically after learning and applying it properly in game. It just that I never thought about it.
So try this - don't literally focus on smashing cross-court, instead focus on normal smashing and your placement in your situation. Then after being able to place it accurately in spots of the left or right side of your opponent, then try directing it further out onto the edges of the court.
The best part (I think) would be the fact that it feels natural and you don't have to intentionally change your own basis of the smashing technique to get it.

On the whole, I think you're better off changing the angle using the direction of your arm swing and your wrist, and not by changing the grip. The grip adjustments mainly come into play when you're taking the smash farther in front (like a drive) or behind you.

I won't say that you should never adjust the grip, but for a full-power smash, you should have enough arm swing to allow for these adjustments of angle.

If you wanted the absolute maximum power for your cross-court smash, you'd need to line up your body to point in that direction. Generally speaking, however, it's better to line up for the straight shot, as this presents the biggest threat to your opponent and he's forced to cover it.

You can also control the angle by slicing the smash. This will significantly reduce the power, but it also creates a more steeply dipping shot that lands farther in front of the opponent than expected -- which can be unsettling!

I wouldn't recommend x-court smashing in doubles too often. Maybe use it to surprise an opponent but with such a high amount of "flat-play" in doubles you should have very good footwork and therefore good balance before trying such a shot, because without a high lift you can find it tough to get back in position in time, leaving your partner to cover a majority of the court on his/her own. As far as hitting the shot goes, I think it comes down to spacial awareness, try to picture where you are on the court, and where you want to hit the shot, then imagine a line going from your base position to that point. This can be hard sometimes but if you can master that then I guarantee not only your x-court smashes will be better but also your straight and center-court smashes will improve. I saw a couple of people recommending smashing at the armpit often, I think that some people forget that not everyone is at a level where they can pinpoint a smash from any position, if you think it might be hard then stick to the basics until you feel confident in your ability.